


Jupiter Calling

by drunkraiinbow



Series: Jason Todd Month 2019 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Angst, ArkhamVerse, But also, Cecaelia Roy Harper, Cecaelias, Fluff, Getting Together, Good Slade Wilson, Jason Todd Is Arkham Knight, Jason was never a robin, M/M, Octopus mer, Roy Harper Is A Mer, Single Parent Roy Harper, Temporary Character Death, idk how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-19 15:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19976356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkraiinbow/pseuds/drunkraiinbow
Summary: After finding the cecaelia Roy and his adorably squishy baby daughter Lian at the beach, the Arkham Knight has to learn that the world – as dark as it might seem sometimes – is full of wonders.





	Jupiter Calling

**Author's Note:**

> For the July: Beach | ~~AU~~ prompt of the [Jason Todd Month](https://jasontoddmonth.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.  
> Check out their page and join the fun! 
> 
> Beta-read by [GavotteAndGigue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GavotteAndGigue/)

The Arkham Knight was laying outspread on the empty beach behind Blüdhaven, gloved hands buried in the fine sand and the helmet still over his face, glowing a faint blue. The heads-up display had been deactivated so he wouldn't be distracted by the interface and other notifications coming in while watching the sunset.

He would have liked to take the helmet off and take a deep breath, but it was too dangerous. Bats were still running around in Blüd since he had been pissing at Nightwing's leg at a raid in the Arkham Knight's warehouse earlier that day. Precious weapons had been lost and in the end, he had blown up the building himself to preserve his long term plans.

After Deathstroke had shown up to help him, they had managed to defeat the other vigilantes, but Batman and Nightwing were still on the streets looking for them. They would always search for the Arkham Knight and try to take him down, lock him away in the new Arkham Asylum that had been built after the last one had been blown up.

It was hard to catch a ghost and a mercenary though. Nobody knew who the man under the helmet was. They had only seen his pointy metal ears on the helmet, his strong body armor and the Arkham Knight emblem on his chest, the unique weapons and skills he was trained in, and his will to survive. Even now, exhausted at a beach, he was still ready to jump back into combat any second, not even flinching at the bleeding wound on his leg where a Batarang had hit him through the camo pants in a chaotic moment of fighting four bat boys at once.

But that was what they had trained him for, year after year since he had been a small child lost in the basement of an asylum that had been run by the patients. All the bruises and broken bones, the constant pain from the beatings and torture he had gotten had forged him into a lethal weapon, loyal and naïve to the orders of a man called Mr. J or Joker, depending on the people talking about the lunatic.

No one really knew how the boy had ended up in the asylum, but everyone agreed that Mr. J and Harley, his former love interest, had taken him in and raised him to become their legacy. His earliest memory was of a clown with terrible makeup and greasy, green hair beating the crap out of him with a brown crowbar. It had taken him a few years to realize that it had not been brown paint but old blood. More specifically, _his_ blood.

The Arkham Knight – Jason, as Deathstroke had named him after he had gotten the letter _J_ branded on his cheek – groaned quietly and turned his head to the side. The sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon, the sky was yellow and pink and different shades in between those colours that Jason had never seen in Gotham. Away from the grey fog of the factories and the clouds hiding the sun, the world was actually quite a beautiful place.

A movement in the corner of his eyes startled Jason, and the man was on his feet within seconds, trying to make out the threat. His mind was blank for a moment, only working on instincts and every lesson he had been taught, but what he saw through the zoom of the heads-up display was not a bat or another vigilante, and certainly not Deathstroke in streetwear.

Waist-deep into the water was standing a gorgeous man, head turning in slight panic. His face showed concern, lips forming words and eyes wandering restlessly over the incoming waves. The water wasn't as calm as it tried to pretend when it crashed against a nearby cliff. The man seemed aware of that as well, his naked upper body and the red hair that almost reached his broad shoulders were wet.

So far, he had not seemed to notice the intimidating figure standing tense at the beach, inches away from the waterline and getting wetter with each flowing tide. Not fond of a soaked uniform and combat boots, let alone the heavy armor, Jason would have loved to lay back on the beach and let the man deal with his own problems or drown, preferably not right before Jason. The helmet, however, had other plans, catching the shouted words and letting him freeze even more.

"Lian! Where are you, sweetie? Lian! It's dangerous out there! Give me sign! Lian! Lian!"

Oh fucking hell, Jason swore internally, someone tell him there was no kid lost in the water right now. It would drown in the strong waves or the dangerous drift that could catch you easily.

"Lian, princess! Where are you!"

He was tempted to both run away and help the man at the same time, and in the end compassion won over safety and he started jogging towards the water where the man was pacing around, not leaving the waist deep wated. Without paying attention to his gaze locked on the land, searching outside of the water for his child, Jason walked through the water and found the green eyes rather quickly on him.

For a brief moment, the man locked caught and insecure, but that changed into concern again. He stood still until the Arkham Knight was in front of him, and when Jason finally started speaking with his modulated voice, he didn't even flinch.

"Saw you looking for your girl. Mind if I help you search for her? The thermal scanners haven't found her yet, but that doesn't have to mean anything."

He doesn't expect relief or gratitude from the man. Hell, he wouldn't thank himself for that. He would probably piss himself, but the man just snorted and shook his head for a moment, showing great disbelief in the villain's offer.

"Yeah, I bet they couldn't find her, that shit doesn't work on my girl," he said under his breath but loud enough for the microphones to catch it and Jason rolled his eyes for a moment.

That's what he got for being nice just once. He couldn't remember ever helping a man except himself and Death Stroke occasionally with the med kit after bloody missions.

"Look, I don't have to. Was just offering it. It's cold in the water and I don't know how old she is, but she's probably already hypothermic. But you do your thing, I just– I'll leave you alone."

With a shrug, Jason turned and was about to walk back to the shore, head shaking because of his own stupidity to talk to the man in the first place, when fingers grabbed his biceps and held him back with a surprising amount of strength.

"Don't leave."

Jason stopped his movements and turned his head to look at the man over his shoulder, waiting for him to speak up.

"I need to find her. She could get hurt or seen out there. I can't let her be found and taken away. She's– she's everything I have."

And when Jason stepped back to face the man again, another set of arms wrapped around his wrist, but that one was red and long and had suckers on the inside. It was a tentacle. A fucking tentacle. Jason tried not to jerk away from the man or the tentacle that came out of the water, but when the man moved to get closer to the beach, he kind of freaked out.

Dude had no legs. He was crawling on octopus arms that started at his waist where the pale skin became dark red and soft but also strangely rough. He used the tentacles to push himself up to be on the same eye level to the Arkham Knight, and if Jason hadn't been screaming internally, he would have been impressed by his overall fitness. The man – octopus – was ripped. And not just his tentacles. His arms were massive, his stomach defined and his shoulders broad and buff.

"I really need your help," he said again and stared at the eyes of Jason's helmet, obviously trying to get through to him. "Your sensors could search for movements, right? The longer she's exposed on the land, the faster they will take her. And I need to protect us from human kind."

For a moment, Jason was still before he sighed and opened the visor of his helmet to take a deep breath of fresh air. He could feel the stranger's gaze dancing over his features and didn't try to smile, but held out a hand.

"I'm Jason."

Through the gloves he couldn't feel the other's hand when he shook it, but the sensors informed him that his body temperature was exceptionally low, only a few degrees over the freezing point.

"Roy," the man introduced himself and Jason nodded, letting go off his hand.

"Let's find your girl then." 

* * *

Lian was sitting in a small cave under the cliffs and was collecting a few shells from the puddles when Roy and Jason finally found the girl. Roy immediately crouched down next to the child and wrapped his arms around her small body, lifting her from the ground to press her closer while Jason stayed a few feet away, just watching and taking in the sight.

Unlike Roy, Lian had very small tentacles that curled sweetly around themselves. Her lower body, was a soft and squishy flesh in a light orange color that formed some kind of wide skirt ending in the tiny arms. Under her red hair that was braided into a lovely tail, Jason could see a pair of ear flaps that reminded him of Dumbo.

She was a beautiful girl and Jason smiled to himself under the helmet when her sweet arms wrapped around Roy's waist, suckers pressing against his skin. Roy was burying his nose in her hair and took a deep breath, visibly relieved to hold his girl in his arms again.

"Oh, baby. How many times do I have to tell you that you need to stay in the water," he whispered and closed his eyes. "I was worried sick, Lian!"

"Oh, 'm sorry," came the murmured reply of Roy's daughter, but Jason could see the mischievous grin she was sending his way and cleared his throat, amused by the small octopus girl.

Yeah, she wasn't sorry. Not at all.

Jason was about to leave, not wanting to disturb the reunion, when Lian stared curiously at him and tried to climb out of Roy's embrace, hands already trying to get a grasp of Jason, who was standing nowhere near.

"Who's that, daddy?" Lian chirped and struggled against the strong arms wrapping tighter around her waist. "Why does he wear a helmet? It looks funny!"

"Lian!" Roy scolded the girl and turned to face Jason, rolling his eyes. "That was rude! He helped me finding you."

"But it does look funny!"

A soft blush was forming in Roy's cheeks and Jason laughed softly, already opening his helmet to take it off. Lian was cheering happily and wiggled in her father's arms to get closer to Jason and after a few seconds, Roy complied and stepped closer so the girl could stretch her arms in Jason's direction and look at him in anticipation.

After putting down his helmet in a small rock to avoid the water, Jason took Lian from Roy and held her in his arms. It was strange having her skirt of tentacles on his arms, but she giggled and he shrugged the feeling off. Stranger things had happened today and the look Roy was giving him told Jason that he was doing nothing wrong. So far so good.

Roy winced when Lian reached out to squish his cheeks, still giggling on his arms, but Jason felt his lips curling up in a reassuring smile. The girl was simply adorable.

"My name's Jason," he introduced himself softly and stared into her big eyes when she leaned back to look at him directly. He brought a hand up to her back to hold the small girl securely in his arms. "I know it's fun to sneak out, but you should listen to your daddy. It's dangerous up here."

She was quiet and serious in his arms, and Jason saw her hesitating and smiled sadly. 

"Humans are dangerous."

Now she frowned and looked down at him, trying to see his legs again. It was cute and Jason bit on his lips to suppress the next smile forming. Children were one of his weak spots.

"But you are a human!"

"I am," Jason nodded and stepped forward to let her crawl back into her father's embrace, grabbing his helmet afterwards. "But humans have been very bad to me as well. They have hurt me. You shouldn't trust anyone of us, baby girl."

That kept her quiet and got him a concerned look from Roy, but he shrugged again and put his helmet back on, relaunching the systems in his suit. The heads-up display came to life again and within seconds his view was blocked by incoming messages from Deathstroke asking for his position. He needed to go as soon as possible.

Remembering the reason for being at the beach, Jason stepped back from the mers and tilted his head to the side. Roy was still looking at him and Lian wasn't very happy either.

"Can you not stay with us? We can take care of you!"

Lian pouted in Roy's arms and snuggled against his bare chest. And as much as Jason would have liked to stay with them, just for a little while longer, Deathstroke was waiting for him to respond. He had to get back to a safehouse. He didn’t belong underwater.

"I'll see you guys around. I'm from Gotham, maybe you'll be in the area one day."

With a last wave, he made it out of the cave and left Roy to deal with a fussing Lian. On the coms he could already hear a familiar voice curse him for disappearing from the radar.

Jason smiled. Family was waiting. 

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Jason found himself at Gotham Bay quite frequently. He had gotten a new safehouse at the docks and was often watching the water to look out for Roy or the squishy baby Lian. She was a dumbo octopus as he had found out googling the creatures, and he had also learned that octopus humanoids were called _cecaelia_ in mythology. He was actually reading a lot about the species and got a few mocking smiles from Deathstroke.

The mercenary called Slade Wilson had once been his teacher at the asylum, but when Jason had decided to step down from his mission to kill the Bat and get his own life, he had taken Deathstroke with him. They had blown up the Arkham Asylum and had been hiding from the Bats ever since. Apparently, killing a vigilante's nemesis wasn't appreciated.

They had taken a few jobs here and there, started infiltrating a few gangs and soon enough, the Arkham Knight was running a gang by himself. It had brought him back into Batman's focus, but he had managed to avoid the big guy so far. And Slade was also looking out for him.

After a few nights in his new safehouse, Jason had also managed to calibrate his sensors for the same movements he had used to search for and find Lian. As soon as Roy or Lian would enter the bay, he would get an alert to meet them outside. Slade had laughed when he had heard about it but had accepted it nevertheless.

The system had proved to work flawlessly. More than once the alert took him to the pier where Roy was waiting for him. He always left his daughter with friends, he told Jason, because the water around cities was always a dangerous area. Humans could see them and send scientists after them and Jason understood.

They met in the shadows of small yachts, sometimes entering them to relax on the deck or in the whirlpool bath – Roy was fascinated by them and enjoyed how his body warmed up in the sparkling water – and talk for hours.

While he didn't tell Roy much about his early life, the cecaelia was very fond of letting him into the life underwater. He learned that Roy was single and the only parent Lian had left, and that he was trying to raise her all by himself. She was attending mer school but was more curious about humans than the stuff they tried to teach her. 

Roy liked fish, shrimps, clams and also plants he found at the bottom of the sea, was a passionate reader of love stories and was able to perform magic. He slept, but not as long as Jason had to, and his body temperature could change to fit the water temperature.

Sometimes, he still freaked out that mer people existed and that he knew two of them. But he had seen way more disturbing things than a hot father with tentacles (though Roy would tell him _they were arms_ ) and his adorable daughter.

After a few weeks, it became clear to Jason that he liked Roy. A lot. He found the man crossing his thoughts every now and then and he was enjoying their dates even more. Though he wasn't sure what Roy felt. Roy was an easygoing person and made it feel so natural to be with him, almost as if they had known each other for years.

Even Slade was noticing the change and mentioned it whenever they could take a break from missions and gang-leading, when they were relaxing at one of their safehouses. After a while, Jason stopped rolling his eyes and had a heart-to-heart with his friend, trying to explain what he had found.

Instead of laughing at him as Jason had expected, Slade went quiet and nodded knowingly, leaning back with a serious face.

"It's good that you've finally found someone to love, kid,” he said and Jason gulped at the strange tone of his voice.

* * *

"Jason! Look! It's Jason, daddy!"

Lian was cheering loudly on the sand when she saw her new best friend slowly approaching the quiet beach, carrying a basket filled with delicious human food and lots of lemonade packs for the small cecaelia baby. They had finally managed to meet in the afternoon and far away from humans so that Lian could join them as well. And Jason had brought a special guest himself.

"That your baby girl?" Slade smirked. He followed Jason and waved when Lian went quiet and stared at them in awe, before she started bouncing up and down. "She has your eyes."

He snorted and let his gaze wander to Roy, who had noticed the second man as well. Jason could see concern flickering over his beautiful face and for a second, he looked as if he wanted to grab Lian and hurry back into the ocean. Jason frowned.

With every step they came closer, Roy was growing more and more on his red arms until he was tall enough to look Slade straight in the eye. Jason was sure Roy would've leaked ink if they had been in the water. He held out an arm, touched Roy's wrist softly.

"I couldn't get in touch with you. I should've checked in first," he said and showed the man a smile. "That's Slade."

When he turned to the older man, Slade had already settled his eyes on Lian and suppressed a quiet laugh at the tiny arms wrapped around his leg in an attempt to climb onto him. Instead of pushing her down as Jason had seen him with other kids, he actually picked her up and held her close to his waist until she had tucked her arms around his belt. And even now his hand was resting on her back to watch her.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Lian!"

Jason snorted again and turned to Roy, who was staring at the strange pair with twisted feelings. Swallowing his curiosity, Jason bumped his shoulder against Roy's and gave him a reassuring nod.

"He's a good guy. Trust me."

"I do."

Roy nodded, but kept his eyes on Slade and his daughter while they settled down on the sand, close to the water. Lian was happily bubbling a few stories and Slade listened, helping Jason unpack the food.

They ate and talked and Jason managed to lean against Roy, carefully and with only their shoulders touching, but still. He could feel the cold skin through the fabric of his shirt and when they had finished the food, Roy was even taking his hand to intertwine their fingers.

Later, Lian was rolling over the sand to collect shells with three pairs of eyes following every move. Hurrying back to them a little while later, Jason saw her holding a necklace made out of the white shells and stared at the jewelry blankly, especially when she decided to lay it around his neck.

Slade laughed next to him, complimenting his look and Lian announced proudly that she was already looking for nice black shells she could give him.

"She's adopted you, Slade. Deal with it," Roy told him and watched the mercenary going after his kid to catch the squirming octopus girl.

Looking down at the necklace, Jason touched the beautiful shells hesitantly and searched for the fine string holding them together. It was nylon from a fishing net.

"How did she make it that fast? I haven't seen her doing anything than collecting," Jason asked Roy quietly and got a wink back.

"Magic."

* * *

They shared their first kiss a little while after.

Slade was currently taking Lian around the safehouse at the docks, showing her around in the large human habitat. She had visited before together with Roy and her curiosity and fascination for human things couldn’t be discouraged by the messy state their safehouse was in. It was by far anything but cosy, but Lian loved to crawl around the floor or take a nap on Jason’s favourite couch.

Slade had also found a liking in the small cecaelia crawling up his tall body to sit on his shoulders and used every opportunity to meet the girl again. After hesitating at first, Roy gave in and let Slade play with his daughter, trusting Jason that the man might be intimidating but good at heart.

It happened when they had finished the dinner Jason had organized to give Roy examples of human food. They were sitting on board of a small yacht with just enough space for two grown men on deck and Roy smiled at Jason with his green eyes that almost seemed vivid in the moonlight.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” he said and put a hand over Jason’s, using his many arms to lean closer. “And I really want to try this. Please don’t be scared.”

And before Jason could even open his mouth in reply, a pair of soft lips was pressed against his own, setting Jason’s cheeks on fire. He was blushing, he was actually blushing, but he still found himself wrapping one arm around Roy to pull the man against his chest and cup his cheek tenderly.

It was a chaste kiss, but Jason didn’t mind it at all. His lips were tingling under the touch of Roy’s and he closed his eyes, stealing another kiss from the mer. He could taste a faint hint of salt and almost smell the sea through it.

Roy had held his breath and Jason smiled when he felt the warm air on his skin after he had pulled back, forehead resting against Roy’s. A warm feeling spread in his stomach that he couldn’t place but accepted it nevertheless.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you holding Lian,” Roy confessed quietly, eyes fluttering open. “I really like you, Jason. And I hope you feel the same about me?”

What a question. Jason was already rolling his eyes, an amused smile forcing its way onto his lips, before he managed to get words out.

“I like you, too. I like you a lot more than I should.”

Roy laughed, a hand stroking Jason’s cheek. He managed to wrap his red arms around Jason’s waist and pull himself onto the Arkham Knight’s lap, sitting comfortably on the outstretched thighs.

“There’s no _too much_ when it comes to affection,” he whispered.

Jason chuckled, while he held Roy, relaxing under the light weight of the cecaelia. He was used to the additional arms by now, not feeling bothered by their unfamiliar behavior anymore. Blinking at the man on his lap, he felt like kissing Roy again. But there was another thing he needed to do.

“But, Roy. I’m going to take you on a real date,” Jason said and leaned back to look into the ocean green eyes again. “I need to woo you properly.”

* * *

It should've been a quick patrol, only a few hours of running over the roofs and checking on their business before Jason would shower and get dressed for his date with Roy. He had organised a small yacht for them, prepared a delicious picnic and even bought some expensive wine and condoms - one could never be prepared enough.

Roy would've waited for him to get picked up for a night out on the sea, just relaxing and talking and enjoying the life, while Slade was supposed to watch over Lian and protect her with his life should anything happen. Jason had been looking forward to it.

Turned out, faith was a bitch. One hour into patrol and the Arkham Knight found himself in front of Batman, who chased him through the city, followed by a kid with a longsword and a charming personality. Jason hated the boy since the first second. Deathstroke was shouting orders over coms at him and he was tempted to just shoot himself to end the madness outside when a bullet hit his shoulder.

He could feel the metal bouncing off his armor but he was already falling to the ground, catching himself in the last second and sprinting away for better cover.

"Get your ass out of there, kid! You can't win against the Bats and Roman's guys!"

Jason rolled his eyes, because no shit, he was aware of that and currently trying to avoid the grenade launchers pointed at him. He just had to get down to one of his warehouses at the docks where Deathstroke had parked one of the tanks. They had enough power to stop everyone of them, maybe even the Batmobile.

Moving towards the building, he used his surroundings and the grappling hook he had stolen from Batman once to use on his surroundings and swing over the rooftops, before running and stumbling and catching himself again. The warehouse came closer, he had almost reached the old building.

Another shot drowned out the other battle noises. Jason felt the sharp pain in his neck when the bullet hit him and broke through the neck piece of his armor. Diamond-coated, he thought before he fell to the ground, lips open in a silent cry of pain.

He couldn't move anymore, couldn't think, couldn't _breathe_ .

"Kid? Kid! What are you doing! Get the fuck up, they're coming closer!"

Jason didn't exactly remember what happened next.

Someone touched his shoulders and turned him on his back, the visor of his helmet was opened, his vision faded. Cursing. Was the battle still on?

Strong arms picked him up and he was carried away, only half conscious, only half alive. He felt cold.

"Arsenal!"

Slade was shouting.

"Roy Harper! I know you're out there! Get your ass up here!

Jason was flying. He was flying through the air and then he was falling again until he hit the ground and was swallowed by it, actually drowning. _Water_ . Slade must have thrown him into the water.

“You can save him, Arsenal! I know you can.”

The water closed over him and he sank deeper, breathing in the shallow sludge of the Gotham harbor. He coughed, his lungs clenched and his heart was exploding.

White pain flooded his mind. His heart stopped beating.

Jason was dead. 

* * *

It was warm around him. That was the first thing Jason noticed with a freshly conscious mind. The pain was gone, the shouting and shooting was nowhere to be heard and his bed – his bed felt fucking amazing.

Snuggling deeper under the soft blanket, Jason made a satisfied noise and yawned, rolling on his stomach to stretch his legs-

Within a second, Jason sat straight up on the bed and opened his eyes wide. He couldn't focus his gaze for a few more moments, tried to adjust to the strange feeling in his legs he _couldn't part anymore_ and when his brain was finally sending clear pictures of his surrounding, he froze.

He was definitely not at home. No. He was in a cave. In the water. He was underwater. And he was _breathing_ .

Unable to process what was happening, he gripped his throat and actually choked when he checked himself for an oxygen mask or other breathing supplies. But nothing. Just some strange, sensitive scars at both sides of his neck. He kept his fingers away for now.

Looking around, Jason could not make out any threats and his gaze wandered down his body, almost automatically. His lower body was still covered with a strange green blanket that looked like seagrass but was surprisingly comfortable. He wanted to push it away when familiar red arms slung themselves around his wrists and held him carefully.

"Oh thank god, you're awake."

 _Roy_ .

His head snapped towards the sound fast enough to catch the man falling down the ceiling, grinning in relief. His red hair was floating behind him in the clear water while he came closer.

"I really thought you wouldn't make it for a while. You scared the shit outta me, Jay."

"I'm sorry," Jason tried to apologize, not knowing what had exactly happened, but his voice sounded gurgly and he stopped halfway, frowning at the cecaelia.

Roy gave him a short smile and let go of his wrist but wrapped his arms around Jason instead, pulling him into a tight hug. And Jason let himself fall against the strong body, closing his eyes.

"You were shot, Jason," Roy whispered after a while and held him when he went stuff in his arms. "You died when Slade brought you to me."

"But I'm here?"

"I brought you back. We have magic, you know? Sometimes, it's enough to save a life and give it a new purpose."

Roy was speaking softly and slowly, a silent apology in his eyes, but Jason felt as if he wasn't actually trying to convince him from a sudden resurrection. Something must've happened, something couldn't be right, if he tried that hard…

"I was dead," he repeated, testing how it felt in his tongue. "And now I'm alive again. But you don't look– what's wrong?"

Instead of answering his question, Roy pulled back from the embrace and took a deep breath. He gave Jason another apologetic look and took the blanket, pulling it away with a single yank.

Jason was speechless. His legs were gone. A long tail had replaced them, with a slender caudal fin that look rather tiny next to the broad fins on each side of his hips. The brown-green tail twitched and Jason shrieked, eyes wide again.

He was– he was–

"I'm a fucking mermaid?"

He had always thought mermaids were supposed to be pretty with a strong tail and vibrant colors. And certainly not fat hips and a scaleless skin. Still overwhelmed by his new body, Jason reached out and touched the strange surface of his tail, feeling the pressure of his fingers. The skin was strong and the flesh underneath was hard, but it was also soft and vulnerable.

What the fuck.

"You're not a mermaid," Roy chirped helpfully with a small grin. "We can't control which form we get, but I'm happy it wasn't a seahorse. Or a clownfish. You're a shark. An angelshark to be specific."

Jason nodded blankly and squinted at his tail, closing his eyes and opening them again to see if it was still there. It was.

But how? How was this fucked up science fiction shit coming true? It was strange enough to know Roy and his red tentacles, but how was Jason–

He couldn't form any sentences anymore and gave up, staring up into Roy's mer eyes. And Roy understood and smiled, arms curling around Jason's wrists.

"When you got shot, Slade knew you were going to die. The bullet was in your neck and you'd lost a lot of blood. I could smell it in the water when he, well, threw you in it," the cecaelia smirked. "Slade and I have known each other for a while now. I was a human before I died and got saved by Lian's mother. I had to work with him sometimes. We didn't like each other, though."

Jason blinked and nodded, trying to catch all the information Roy could give him. He had tried to know more about him for weeks and didn't notice that they had already known each other for years? What a disappointment he must have been for Slade. Or maybe a relief.

Deciding he had enjoyed enough rest, Jason tried to get off the soft bed, which seemed to be made out of sea sponges after a second look. The cave itself didn't have any personal touch to it, it seemed to be more practical than cosy. Jason didn't mind.

With a little help from Roy, he managed to use his tail, twitching it to get in an upright position, before his gaze flickered to the green watergrass curtain. An exit maybe. He bit his lip and groaned softly.

"A bit much?" Roy asked and Jason simply nodded.

What was he supposed to feel when he didn't know who he was anymore? He was dead, he was undead, and he was partially a shark. What about Slade, what about his life up there? Someone had to contact his friend, had to take the reigns and manage his gang. It was so much to think about.

"Hey, Jason, I know what it's like."

Strong humanly arms held Jason tight at Roy's chest. He could feel the soft rubbing on his back and the slight drift of water when Roy pulled them out of the cave and into the ocean. Instinctively, Jason scanned the area around the cliff for threats and relaxed when he found nothing out here.

"It's hard, but you'll get used to it. You'll feel lots better after your first swim!"

The way Roy beamed and Jason, he was unable to tell the cecaelia no and nodded instead. The arms dropped around him and let him float in the water by himself to clap his hands.

"Awesome! Think we can pick up Lian? She's with Slade. We could surprise them."

Jason rolled his eyes but accepted with a silent grunt. Roy was already swimming ahead with his usual strong arm kicks. A fish should be faster, but Jason struggled against the liquid that was slowing his motions down. How was he supposed to swim with such a tiny fin?

But Roy also got that when he looked back at Jason and laughed at him. He must look like a drowning shark.

"Use your wings to swim!"

"My what?"

"Your pectoral fins. Your wings," Roy repeated and grabbed behind Jason to pull on… something that had not been there before.

Jason almost broke his neck when he tried to look behind himself and choked at the sight of two gigantic fins that grew out of his back and flapped when he saw them, acknowledging their existence. He was immediately in better control of his body.

 _Oh_. That could become interesting.

"Hey Roy," he said with a smirk. "What about a little race?"

Roy's eyes darkened.

"You'll lose." 

**Author's Note:**

> For more cute squishy dumbo octopus action click [here.](https://kindofchaoticgood.tumblr.com/post/169619296906/look-at-this-precious-shy-baby/)
> 
> Find me on [tumblr.](https://drunkraiinbow.tumblr.com/)


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